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Friday, July 18, 2008

Micro Moths {2}

As usual, I had the kitchen door open in the early morning, while working and thus listening to my birds and to the call of the Collared Dove which has been tantalising me now for more than two years by calling out loud and yet not showing itself. Only once it did appear here in the flesh when it landed onto the streetlight at the front wall. I was sitting next to the planter, scooping peanut cake into the tub there. It looked down at me, and unlike the Robins and my Great Tits, it did fly off as soon as I raised the camera. {the others don’t mind if I remove the lens cap, raise camera and press the shutter while I talk to them. I’ve noticed that as soon as I stop talking they become wary of me! I often talk to my birds through the window too, so they probably feel safe while hearing my voice, as nothing bad happened before during this? They like food served on my hand too, but I don’t often keep my hand out, as I am afraid that they might get too comfortable with humans. Especially with those which still have to go and leave for a new territory where they will start their real lives. When I had closed the door later in the morning, I’d noticed that a tiny Moth had been trapped inside behind the door, and was now frantically trying to fly through the window of the door. It had two dark spots on either side above a light wavy bar, and it reminded me of the Dark-barred Twinspot Moth I’ve encountered earlier. Looking for a Light barred Twinspot had no success however. After opening the door slightly, it hopped onto my finger, and did not mind me moving the other fingers which were trying to open the door further. {You try pushing a door handle and pulling a heavy door with a tiny Moth on your index finger; not easy!} It soon left the warmth of my skin and flew off into the fresh air. With the pictures uploaded to Photobucket, I was getting ready for my bit of lunch and chat with the folks at rehabcare in Bantry. Back home, and whilst sweeping the kitchen, a little movement underneath the hob caught my eye as I was organizing the recyclables and cleaning there. Whatever it was, it did not move away; but on the marbled lino I had trouble to see what it was. And yep! Another tiny Moth. Unable to fly, only fluttering up before landing again immediately afterwards, it hopped into a little tub easily, thus allowing me and my camera a better look at it, before I brought it outside. Placing the tub in a plant pot, it caught the fresh breeze in its wings and after a few hesitant flutters it did fly off to a Happy Ever After Land. I’ve kept an eye out during the evening, checking if its wings had given up, but I think the reason it was unable to fly properly indoors, was most likely the result of having been trapped indoors for too long.

The first Moth of the Day had been very small, 1 ½ -2cm across, but Moth 2 was a lot smaller than even that, which why I had not seen missed spotting it until it had started to move. It was a real mini-micro Moth!

2 comments:

It's funny what birds get use to re: your talking to them. I've found that the birds don't mind me at all as I'm always around the garden but let me put on something they aren't use to seeing me in and they become very wary.

Know what you mean, Crow. If I get back from the village, say, in winter, wearing my cosy grey woollen cape, and come round the house to kitchen door, they fly off immediately, voice or no voice. Even my cat used to get afraid of me in a yellow poncho, a rain 'coat' for cyclists.

I posted a few Juvenile Hooded Crows for you, the other day in Swallows, Shingle.. part1

With these twin blogs I hope to show that nature is all around us, even along the road,in our garden, or on a balcony.

I will try and use Wildlife on Wheels for Wild Flowers, Invertebrates and other creatures in the garden and elsewhere. In Birding on Wheels I concentrate more on the Birds in my garden.For any queries, you can leave a comment or send an email to birdingonwheelsATgmail.com

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About Me

Moved to West Cork, Eire, in 1983. birder and lover of Nature and Wildlife; photography, and mixing these obsessions, as far as my wheels allow me to.
Got my 1st (window) birdfeeder at age 11, growing up in a large forest in the heart of Holland. . We have been married for 30 years.